Steve Blake at the beginning of the year as Bayless gets his feet wet off the bench.
Come January or February the roles will switch.

Like I said in another post, JayBay is getting groomed like a QB in the NFL. He is better than Sergio right now, but will get even better when he gets some playing time.

But I dont agree with one little thing you said. That the point guard would have to defer to B-Roy. What if this team never becomes the team that should contend for a title? What if the will be major injuries? I cant limit KP in that he cant bring a point guard like CP3 or D-Will. Yes it wont happen now cuz everything is good and we are set for a run. But if there major problems with team chemistry or major injuries to Oden, LMA, or Roy then KP might bring in the point guard that can take over the team. B-Roy played really well with CP3 in the all-star game, so I dont see any problem in Roy deferring. I know that there is not allot of point guards of CP3 tear but KP works everyday to make the team better, and if the hopes wont come true than something might change.

Steve Blake has shown himself to be a career backup — albeit a sturdy, reliable one — while Jerryd Bayless’ lacking skill set pretty much indicates that he’ll never be a true floor general. Furthermore, Sergio Rodriguez is specifically an up-tempo, change-of-pace playmaker who should play strictly beside fellow Spaniard Rudy Fernandez in the second unit’s backcourt.

Brandon made it clear this summer that he doesn’t want KP to acquire a star point guard. He said it would take away from his game.

“We don’t need a Chris Paul or Deron Williams or the All-Star point guard. We just need a solid point guard, a veteran guy who makes great decisions and hits big shots,” Roy says. "And then we just need me to play to my ability, Greg to his and LaMarcus (Aldridge) to his. Once we get to that level, the point guard spot won’t look so much like, ‘We need this great point guard.’ "

“People asked me how it was to play with Chris Paul, and I said it was great, but at the end of the day, I don’t know if we could play a full season together,” Roy says. “It takes away from what I do.”

“I see it eventually as me and Blake, and me and Bayless together a lot,” Roy says. "The reason why I see it with Bayless is because he can guard points. He may not be a one (guard), but he can guard a one, so then it fits into exactly what we want to do. That’s why I tell people who say (Bayless) isn’t a point: ‘If he was a point, it would take away from what I do, so it’s almost fine that he’s not a point.’ "

Roy is never going to catch and shoot (as Rudy does) and he doesn’t move well (or hardly at all compared to Rudy) without the ball. He basically creates his own shot, runs the pick and pop (since no one on the Blazers knows how to pick and roll), and drives and dishes to open shooters. Therefore, he doesn’t need a highly active playmaking point guard, and a point guard that dominates the ball renders him ineffective. Roy’s contribution will be maximized with a point guard that brings the ball up the court, hits the open 3-pt shot, occasionally drives to the hoop, and guards the opposing PG. It’s easy to see why he thinks Bayless could be a perfect fit for him in the future, and hopefully Bayless will grow into that role. If not, we can eventually look to acquire that player with an emphasis on defense (it is not Sergio).

The bigger question is whether Rudy could take Blake’s place as the other guard in a Rudy/Roy/Bayless rotation. I think it all hinges on Rudy’s ability to defend the opposing point guard when he and Roy are in the back court together. If so, Rudy easily fits the role of hitting the open (and semi-open) 3-pt shot and driving to the hoop as the situation dictates. I’d rather have Rudy taking Blake’s shots today, and get to the basket occasionally, which Blake seldom does. He also has excellent court vision and should be able to distribute to Oden, LMA, and Webster to take some of the pressure off Roy and up tempo the starting unit in transitions. When Bayless and Rudy are in the back court together (which would only be 10-12 minutes a game while Roy rests), Rudy can step up his scoring role by using his ability to move without the ball.

When Webster returns there will be a lot less time at SF for Rudy, and I think Nate will begin to focus more on making a Roy / Rudy back court work. If it isn’t successful by the end of the year we will probably have to move a shooting guard.

to let the Bayless thing develop. A “star” personality here could spoil the whole mix. Jerryd has the speed and skill set to develop into star quality, right? So, until he shows that to be impossible, he’s the guy of the future…probably somewhat soon.

As an outside observer, Sergio seems like the odd one out, since he doesn’t match Roy’s style, and he’s not SO much superior to Blake, Rudy, Roy or (probably) Bayless at handling the ball in pressure situations…He (Sergio) also may garner enough interest because of his skill set to become a solid backup on a different style team, and have the gresatest value on the trade market..also doing him the service of sending him where HE can be some teams premier Spainaird..

is that too much to ask for?

I don’t see a big problem with the PG postion for the Blazers. Blake is a solid point. He makes decent decisions, is a good passer, and has his heart in the game. Rudy and Roy can play the postion for stints when Nate wants a big PG.
Bayless may or may not become a good PG in the league. I know he can create his own shots and score, but until he learns how to pass in the Blazer offense, I see him deveolping into more of a Stephon Marbury type PG. Not a good thing for the Blazers with this current line-up. Not a bad thing for a different situation.
But who knows…

You can’t claim you want to trade for a PG with a straight face. Except here on Blazersedge ;)

Undersized, fast, score-first, ultra-athletic.

Forget the John Stockton model — more NBA PGs are generally of the Tony Parker model.

Nate needs to give his plodding half-court offense an adrenaline injection…

Roy is able to take his man off the dribble, get into the paint, and create for himself or others. He’s also able to initiate the offense competently. Those are two qualities you look for in a pg.

While Roy is capable of bringing the ball up the floor, that may sap his stamina and negatively impact his productivity. The issue for the Blazers is whether they will acquire/develop a wing (or two) with the prerequisite ballhandling skills to bring the ball up the court, plus any particular skills Blazer coaches and management covet.

While Blake can bring the ball up the court, he’s never going to be Derrick Rose. Blake’s a dependable role player, and the Blazers will improve significantly once they can replace him with someone who is more than just a role player.

Petteri Koponen!!

Actually I figure Bayless is still closer to the right fit, but I could see Petteri coming into a nice place for us someday.. maybe..

contingent on Oden staying healthy and being a productive starter.

Like you said, he can shoot the deep ball and he defends okay. He can pass, he just doesn’t get lots of assists due to Roy. He’s got championship winning history and is a stable player.

If we’ve got Roy, Aldridge, and Oden playing a 3 man game with Blake and Marty spotting up… we won’t need anything else for starters.

Look at it this way… give Roy and Aldridge 20 ppg, Oden 10 (which should be low… maybe very low), Marty 13, and Blake 7 and you’re at 70 ppg. Travis and Rudy will give you 14 each off the bench, now we’re at 98. Anything else is candy.

nate and broy will implement more risky and aggressive styles when it has become clear we can recover consistently, i cant see that happening for a while yet.

at times this season im sure we will see some beautiful basketball, at other times we will be covering our faces in despair.

but im still a big supporter of the team!